Motorized overhead patient lift systems are known for use in connection with lift straps, sling bars and patient lift slings to lift and transport patients for any number of reasons. Many of such motorized overhead lift systems typically operate like a winch and usually include a lift motor, a cylindrical lift drum driven by the lift motor, a housing for enclosing the motor and lift drum, and a lift strap affixed at one end within the lift drum for lifting or lowering a patient when the drum is rotated and the strap is respectfully either wound up on the lift drum or paid out from the lift drum. Typically, a sling bar is connected to the free end of the lift strap. Each end of a sling bar typically includes a load hook onto which the lift loops of a patient lift sling are hooked so that a patient can be lifted by the lift system.
However, the load hooks disposed at the ends of existing sling bars are problematic for several reasons. First, several sling bars include lift hooks that have spring-biased latches hingedly attached to the body of the sling bar, which serve to close the otherwise open hook loop by biasing the free end against the open end of the load hook. These locking gates are present to ensure that the lift loops on the patient slings do not accidentally become unhooked from the hooks at the ends of the sling bar. However, these hinged latches are not a structural part of the sling bar and are incapable of handling the lift loads. Occasionally, the lift loops can and do become positioned within the load hooks such that they are only wrapped on or around the hinged latch. When a patient is then seated in the patient sling with the lift loop in such position, the load placed on the hinged latch by the lift loop far exceeds the load capacity of the hinged latch, the latch breaks off from the sling bar, the lift loop becomes disengaged from the sling bar and the patient suddenly falls to the floor as one side of the patient sling is no longer supporting the patient's weight.
In addition, the lift hooks currently disposed at the ends of patient sling bars protrude freely into the air and otherwise are directed away from the body or cross bar portion of the sling bar. Accordingly, the free ends of the lift hooks are exposed for anyone to either catch a piece of clothing on, or catch a portion of the medical staff's or patient's body on. As such, existing lift hooks on sling bars currently pose an impalement risk to both patients and staff using and maneuvering the sling bars.
Accordingly, there is a need for a sling bar that retains the lift loops of a patient sling on the sling bar as well as reduces or removes any impalement risk from the lift hooks disposed at the ends of the sling bar. There is also a further need for a sling bar that does not utilize hinged, spring biased latches to retain the lift loops of the sling on the sling bar. As an alternative to sling bars having no latches, there is a need for sling bars containing latches designed to support a full lifting load from a lift loop, or alternatively, latches that are designed to open and release the lift loop if a lift loop places a lifting load on the latch.